Playing device for stringed musical instruments.



H. c. MARX.

PLAYiNG DEVICE FOR STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT$ APPLICATION FILED FEB. 9. I917.

11,246,635. Patented Nov. 13, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I ,wm by Q fi TF R y H. c. MARX.

PLAYING DEVlCE FOR STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. APPLICATION-FILED FEB- 9. 1917.

1,246,635 Patented NOV. 13, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- F? 5- a c Fl 5; 5 1/445 4@ 47 :1 4,5 I L* "I L 44 T 50 IN WEN [E1 a HENRY: MARX by WM? 45 M I TTQR' EY 'sical instruments,

HENRY o. MARX, or onrcaeo,

ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB TO THE PHONOHARP COMPANY, OF

EAST BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

PLAYING DEVICE FOR srnrnenn MUSICAL ms'rnmvtnn'rs.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented NO 13" 1917.

Application filed February 9, 1917'. Serial No. 147,600.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY C. MARX, a citizen of the United States, residing at city of Chicago, in the county of Cook'and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Playing Devices for Stringed Musical Instruments, of which the-following is a specification.

This invention relates to stringed musuch as -zithers and phonoharps. In such instruments it is customary to provide melody strings and accompaniment strings, and to arrange the latter in groups so may be tuned and played to produce a chord. The present invention relates particularly. to means for playing the chord strings, and consists in the features hereinafter described and claimed, and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.

0n the drawings: 7 a

Figure 1 represents a top plan view of a zither having chord strings, and a playing device therefor embodying the present invention in one form. a

Fig. 2 represents a vertical section in a plane parallel to the strings, and shows in elevation one of the strikers of the chordplaying device, in its normal position.

Fig. 3 represents a sectional view similar to Fig. 2 excepting that the striker is shown by solid lines in its raised position,-and by broken lines in its striking position.

Fig. 4 represents a top plan view, on a larger scale, of a group of chord strings and the string-engaging element embodied in a different form.

Fig. 5 represents a vertical cross section through the group of strings shown by Fig. 4, and shows the relation, particularly with respect to the different horizontal planes, in which their top portions are arranged, in consequence of their different diameters.

Fig. 6 represents a perspective view of another modification.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts wherever they occur.

The musical instrument illustrated is one that is well known, aside from the playing attachment that constitutes the present invention. The body of the instrument includes a sounding board 10, and suitable bridges atiixed thereon. The bridge wires are indicated at 11, 11, and the tuning pins are indicated at 12. Melody strings are in that the strings of'each group' of the portion 21 being dicated at 13,13, and include all the strings between the three to which the reference numeral 13 is applied. The strings at the left of the group of melody strings are for accompaniment and are divided into groups, each of which in the present instance includes four'strings. Thus each group of chord strings will produce a chord having four tones. String 1a in each case is the fundamental bass string of the chord; and

strings 15, 16 and 17 in each case may be tuned to produce a triad.

The playing device for the chord strings comprises in the present instance, four strikers, the latter being designated in Fig. 1' by the numerals 1, 2, 3 and 4:. It will. be understood, however, that a greater or less number of *strikers'rnay be provided, according to the number of groups of chord strings with which the instrument is provided. Each striker comprises a flexible leaf-spring portion 20, a rigid portion 21, and a tongue 22 of soft flexible material such as felt. Rigid portion 21 is arranged over the flexible spring portion 20 and is substantially parallel thereto, but separated therefrom throtwhout the reater aortion of two elements are rigidly its length. These connected to each other at one end, a block 23 being interposed between them for that purpose; but the elements 20, 21, 22 and 23 are, to all intents and purposes, a unit when once assembled. Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, the right-hand end portion of the spring element 20 is aiiixed to the under surface of a supporting block 24. This block extends transversely across the entire set of accompaniment strings, and its ends are provided with portions 25 that rest upon the sounding board. This support is afiixed to the sounding board by screws 26 (Fig. 1).

Fig. 2 shows a striker in its normal position, the tongue 22 being a substantial distance above the strings, and the end 21 separated from the confronting surface of the support 24. Tongue 22 is the string-engaging element of the striker, and is flexible although normally straight. The striker is intended to be operated first by raising end portion 21 and then releasing it while in its raised position. The downward recoil of spring portion 20 causes the free end portion of tongue 22 to strike the strings.

The function of portion 21 is to limit the string, if struck at .paratively little -f0l'0e WOU.lCl be undesi-rable, for M strings of the chordigroup were struek'with spring portion As shown by solid lines in Fig. 3, end 21' is in cont'aet'v 'itlisurface 24! ofthe support, and thus preventsl urther upward movement of end portion 21%, f r any additiona UP- ward movement of e-nd'21 would require longitudinal movement of springportion 20 upward flexure of to the left relatively to support 24, and such relative movement is impossible becailseportion 20 is athxed to support 24. ill-here is :a substantial d fference 111 *d1- ameter and weight between :the several strings of a; chord group,-and1the difference in diameter is clearly the present instance,

shown by Fig.5. In strings l4: and dar th re o e substanoverw und, and ar vtially larger and heavier than strings 1.6 ;and"17. The ever, doinot extend to thefbridge wires 11, shut thecore wires let :b-ridge wires and are anchored to thetnning overwound portions; howand .15 rest upon the pins and to the hitch pins (not shown).

The bottoms ofthe core wires 14: and 15 and of the. strings -l6 and 1 7 are tangential .to the top of-the bridge wire.

It will be observed that theitopsofithe strings aredn as many .diflerentdiorizOntal planes as there arestringsin achord-gronp,

and that the top of thedargest and heaviest string is in;the highest oneofsaid.plenefi, while the top of the smallest and lightQSt string is in the lowest one of said planes.

, I-n consequence ofthis relationotthe top of thestrings, the playingiunit would strike theheaviest string first. Theheavieststring would therefore receive the greater portion oflth'e .force of the impact, and the lightest all, would receive ornof impact. This even {if ;all the the same. degree.v of force, the heaviest string would produce thegreatest volume of sound and thesmall-est string would e455 1 portion tongue,

to theplane of, the; tops of the ivhich i ac smice en h dyingth ilattc ie t r h PM being wedgesshaped the thick part-will engage the smallest string, while theithin part will engage the largest string, and the intermediate parts instrumen o :1

str ings, the free end of the tongue being lower than the end that is attached to the and such inclination of the -in conjunction with the tapering formation, causes substantially simul taneous contact With all the strings of the group. Thus the force of the impact is divided substantially equally between the strings, and

wl atever slight, ,diiference occurs will be advantageous to the lightest string because the latter 1s strnclcby the lo gest portion i f heit nsuc,zt-ha isthe p rtion tha has e re te decrees- Whipp ng when Substantially the same compensatory of ie m y ie-ob ain by p idin a ha 97 .QfgfGi on othe oft m ria 1 p ac f the tongue, n ovld dth str ie-wees e2;

face 27 of such pad is substantially parallel strings I upon Fig. 6 shows a playlng deand garranged that will engage theintermediate strings. I cla m:

-l- The cem i a tionavith as ins d m s ca support extend 11g I across a'series of strings of such instrument, and a plurality of strikers secured to said support position. ,to strike the trings, each I .5 I, i w fle i m t, i lexibl par heme a fixed at one end to sa d support, and said meld par v l e es ar an e a to h se s d support, whe the free en th strike is mi el 119 to l m [t upwar fl is noveme h thef f e n of'th s r kcr having a body ofsoft material arran fed to s ik o. e-..or mo e strin -sin ons q en o downward recoi o sa flex bl n r 2. Il eeo nbinatlonwith a Zither or li e i s r men ha in b ide' a s ew of ho dtrin en differen din et' ea onsaid idg and a striker co nprisj g an osc1llato1 arm, and a tongue/lot material fastened to and extending beyond the free end of.saidtarimsaidtongue having an oblique outer end arranged to strile. the tops o s d s .I s mult neeu' vlatesbim nv whereo lh a fi e y atur HENRYC. A M AR X.

each n ls tcs ipz. th iqeelmtssi ne 9!. at

Washington, D. G. 

